The Ipswich problem.

Is the County Council who are responsible for PRoW in Suffolk. In theory
Ipswich Borough Council is their agent but IBC are not going to spend
cash doing a job SCC should be doing. Andrew Woodin the SCC countryside
manager hasn't sufficient resources and he appears unable to raise his
game and acquire additional funding outside of SCC. Instead IBC take
advantage of the fact there is no Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way
in Ipswich and they allow developers to build on them. The Planning
Committee is completely political and take political decisions when
judging planning applications. I last went to a planning committee a few
weeks ago now. I was interested in an application to build on the Drift
between Reading Road and Jupiter Road. I opposed it as there is a PRoW
running from Rushmere Road to Woodbridge Road across the Drift.
Unfortunately the local residents had a known conservative stating their
case for them. Most of the conservatives on the Planning Committee
that day left the room as they knew the speaker. That left one as she
didn't know the person so the decision was taken by four labour
councillors who took advantage of the open goal to score points and they
allowed the application much to the bewilderment of the residents who
very obviously were not labour voters. I am but I know when I see
something wrong happening. Of course my objection about the PRoW
wasn't even discussed. Councillors Martin, Jones, Smart and another
I cannot name as I am not sure I remember correctly had free hit.
Peter Turtill